St. Lawrence Miner’s Song
A is for the axes that cut up the prop
B is for the buckets, which hoist up the muck
C is for the captain the best man of all, and
D is for the danger, be careful, don’t fall
Chorus: Oh, so merry, so merry, so merry are we We go down at seven and come up at three. Hi derry, hi derry, hi derry, ding-dong. Give the miners good pay and there’s nothing goes wrong
E is for explosives we use in the mine.
F is for the fuses we light on good time.
G is for the granite that breaks up our bits, and
H is for the hoist man who hauls up the skip
Chorus: Oh, so merry, so merry, so merry are we We go down at seven and come up at three. Hi derry, hi derry, hi derry, ding-dong. Give the miners good pay and there’s nothing goes wrong
I is for the iron track we lay underground.
J is for the jackhammer we use benching down
K is for the killed, byes, so mind what you’re at, and
L is for the lights that we wear on our hats.
Chorus: Oh, so merry, so merry, so merry are we We go down at seven and come up at three. Hi derry, hi derry, hi derry, ding-dong. Give the miners good pay and there’s nothing goes wrong
M is for mucking, the first job you take
N is for the night shift that keeps us awake
O is for orders we have to go by, and
P is for the power that keeps the mine dry
Chorus: Oh, so merry, so merry, so merry are we We go down at seven and come up at three. Hi derry, hi derry, hi derry, ding-dong. Give the miners good pay and there’s nothing goes wrong
Q is for the queer things you’ll hear the boys say
R is for the raises we climb twice a day
S is for stopping, the best job of all, and
T is for the timber that won’t let you fall
Chorus: Oh, so merry, so merry, so merry are we We go down at seven and come up at three. Hi derry, hi derry, hi derry, ding-dong. Give the miners good pay and there’s nothing goes wrong
U is for the union, all minors belong
V is for the verses that make up this song.
W is for we four that made this song up.
And the other three letters got lost in the muck.
Composed by: Gregory Edwards, Hugh Clarke, and two others, c. 1940
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